# Garganey (*Spatula querquedula*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/garganey  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The garganey (Spatula querquedula) is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a small, migratory, aquatic bird of wetland habitat, with an adult body mass of 325.6 g and a reported range from 310 to 356.5 g. It lays 8.5 eggs per clutch with 1 clutch per year, incubates them for 22 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 364.6 days (1 year). The IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category, and checklists record it in Australia.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 310 g – 356.5 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 14.6 years – 19.8 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 22 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 8.5 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Spatula
- species: *Spatula querquedula* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Anas humeralis*, *Anas querquedula*, *Crecca aestiva*, *Querquedula querquedula*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Australia

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the garganey?

The garganey is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, part of the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.

### How much does a garganey weigh?

An adult Garganey weighs 325.6 g, with reported values from 310 to 356.5 g.

### What does the garganey eat?

Its diet category is herbivore, while its trophic level is listed as omnivore.

### Is the garganey endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses the garganey as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a garganey live?

The garganey has a lifespan of 14.6 years, with values up to 19.75 years reported.

### How many eggs does a garganey lay?

A garganey lays 8.5 eggs per clutch, with 1 clutch per year and an incubation period of 22 days.

### Which countries is the garganey recorded in?

Checklists record the garganey in Australia; it is a migratory bird of wetland habitat.

### Who named the garganey?

The garganey, Spatula querquedula, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Garganey (Spatula querquedula). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/garganey